Philippines evacuates thousands as Super Typhoon Man-yi nears

President Marcos directs government to prepare for ‘worst-case scenario’, with millions at risk from storm surges.

The Philippines has ordered the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people and cancelled dozens of flights as a “potentially catastrophic” typhoon – the sixth storm in a month – approaches the archipelago.

Packing winds of 240km/h (149mph), Man-yi was upgraded to a super typhoon by state weather agency PAGASA.

“Pepito is approaching its peak intensity,” the agency said, using the local name for the storm that was expected to make landfall near the province of Catanduanes on Saturday night or early on Sunday.

It warned of a “potentially catastrophic and life-threatening situation” for the central region of Bicol, where nearly 180,000 people have been evacuated.

Man-yi was heading towards the eastern part of the main island of Luzon, prompting PAGASA to raise its highest Category 5 alert for Catanduanes and Category 4 for the northern part of Camarines Sur province.

Both provinces are still recovering from the deadly Tropical Storm Trami, which hit the country in late October.

The mayor of Naga city in Camarines Sur imposed a curfew from midday on Saturday in a bid to force residents indoors.

Civil defence administrator Ariel Nepomuceno said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr directed all government agencies “to prepare for the worst-case scenario” in areas where Man-yi is expected to hit.

In one evacuation centre in Catanduanes, more than 400 people were squeezed into the provincial government building in the capital, Virac, with new arrivals being sent to a gymnasium, provincial disaster officer Roberto Monterola told the AFP news agency.

Man-yi has already forced the cancellation of dozens of flights in the eastern Visayas region facing the Pacific Ocean.

The weather agency warned of dangerous storm surges that could exceed 3 metres (10 feet) in coastal areas of Luzon.

Torrential rains are expected in some provinces mainly in central Philippines.

About 20 tropical storms hit the Philippines each year on average, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and deadly landslides.

In October, floods and landslides brought by Tropical Storm Trami and Typhoon Kong-rey killed 162 people, with 22 others reported missing, government figures show.

Four storms, including Typhoon Usagi, churned in the western Pacific Ocean at the same time in November for the first time since records began in 1951, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.